CHAPTER 6

  NEW BEGINNING

  Praba, Jenya came back after the exam, and I wished them Happy New Year. we talked for some time and cooked biryani for dinner. We were waiting for Isha to come back from home. She said that she will be back by January 6 and we were so excited because the next day of her arrival was her birthday. We were excited for one more other reason being going to India Gate for a birthday picnic on 7 January.

  Isha came back, and we threw a great birthday bash and we didn’t have class on seventh since it was Saturday. At evening we went to India Gate fully dressed up to celebrate and have more fun. We captured some amazing photos and enjoyed chatting about a variety of topics.

  Praba excitedly suggested, “How about we have some fun with a game of truth or dare?”.

  I was reluctant at first because I knew they will give some tough dare and since we were in public. I was not ready to embarrass myself in front of the entire crowd.

  But who can resist a game of truth or dare? We kicked things off by spinning a Coke bottle, and guess what? It ended up pointing right at me and Isha! Deep down, I just had this feeling that she was going to choose a dare.

  She smiled and said, “How about I give you a fun dare? I dare you to prank call someone!”

  In that instant, I could feel my heart racing. Uncommon emotions began to wash over me. It felt like the start of something new. I gazed directly at her and said,

  “No, I can’t do that”

  Isha said, “don’t be silly, there is no dare without being daring”.

  Praba asked,” but, whom we will prank?”

  Isha replied we will prank someone who is on our contact list and let’s not prank any strange numbers. Maybe what if it can cause any other issue?’’

  Jenya replied by saying, “I got a number that number belongs to my school friend’s distant friend. He won’t create any issue; he will take it as a joke.”

  I asked, “what’s his name?”

  The three of them burst into laughter and playfully teased me, saying, “Look, someone is eager to learn his name! And just look at that sweet blushed face—her cheeks are as red as ripe tomatoes!”

  The one feature I can’t conceal is my round cheeks, which turn as red as tomatoes when I feel shy or joyful. I let out a sigh, glanced down, and asked, “How should I refer to him, then?”

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  “Zayn, his name is Zayn Arora”.

  My eyebrows shot up, and I felt a little flutter in my stomach. I wondered why I was experiencing this; it was just a name, and I had never seen or heard of this person before, unlike the countless boys’ names I had heard without feeling anything. I glanced at them and inquired, “So, what should I actually say to him?”

  Praba told “we are not going to tell you the whole dialogues it’s just simple you are confessing your feelings towards him. You yourself have to figure out how to confess.”

  I asked Jenya, “Could you please share a picture of him? It would really help me picture who he is!”

  She replied I used to follow him on Instagram but I unfollowed him long back, but yeah, he is tall and will be a complete match for you”.

  Isha and Praba laughed loudly. I grabbed my phone and began entering his number, making sure with each digit I typed that this wouldn’t result in any police involvement or anything similar.

  Before hitting the call button, I glanced at the three of them. They were supporting me and hoping for my success. My heart raced. I hit the call button but immediately ended the call after a second. Isha patted me on the shoulder, took the phone, and redialled. He answered the call right away and said,

  ‘’Hello”.

  I felt like the entire universe have come to a halt. I felt like the entire crowd in the India Gate lawns faded, the sound of the vehicle honks inaudible. Even I was not knowing what I was going through. I reminded myself to be calm and be confident.

  “Hello, is it Zayn?”.

  “Yeah, it’s Zayn speaking. Can I know whom I am speaking to?’’

  In that instant, I didn’t want to reveal my true name because I felt afraid, and even more importantly, it was just a prank call, not a genuine confession. I told him

  “My name is Avanthika”.

  “Okay, then Avanthika, how can I help you?”

  “Just want to tell you, Zayn that I got a crush on you and you look really handsome and I wanted to share this for a long time but couldn’t.’’

  There was a moment of silence, and my throat started to dry up. I started to exchange glances continuously with my friends. They were whispering to be calm and don’t mess it up.

  I noticed Zayn clearing his throat, ready to talk, and I could hear him chuckling as he said, “Avanthika, I can’t grasp your emotions since we’re conversing in English. Could you please speak in Hindi so I can truly feel the depth of your words?”

  I glanced at my friends, completely baffled about how to respond. Out of nowhere, a sense of confidence began to emerge, and I finally said,

  ‘’You know, I’m actually not from Delhi, and my Hindi skills aren’t the best. But guess what? I’ve downloaded the Duolingo app just for you, so I can learn Hindi and chat with you better!

  My friends smiled at me, and Jenya even gave me a little silent cheer. I chuckled after sharing those words, but he burst into an infectious laugh. Then he asked,

  “Oh, that’s interesting! Can you share where you first saw me and felt that spark?”

  I turned to Jenya, hoping for some insight, but she wasn’t sure which college he had gotten into or where he might be living now. Although Jenya had his number a while back, they never really connected as friends. She started giving me some signals, but I couldn’t quite read them. I took a deep breath and gently said,

  “See Zayn, I felt a crush on you, that’s why I thought of saying this to you and thank you for hearing. Bye”.

  “Please don’t hang up, just hear me out.” Zayn urged.

  I ended the call and glanced at the three of them, and even though I felt a little scared, deep down, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of happiness. These are the wild memories we’ll cherish forever in our lives, and they have the potential to become core memories. When we grow older and reflect on the past, we might take pride in our accomplishments, whether they’re from our careers, college, school, or just life. But beyond those achievements, what truly matters are these irreplaceable memories, and I’m eager to create my own too…